9 Months to go
Click the link if you’d like to donate: http://www.justgiving.com/WinstonWolfrider
Planning continues…
The blog still has to go live, the charities need to be chosen and contacted, sponsorship hasn’t been attempted yet, my fitness requires attention and I haven’t told all my family.
I started training a couple of weeks ago and decided to give myself a fitness test, just to see how unfit I was. A forty mile bike ride from London to Kent, over Biggin Hill was a starter. As usual with the British climate, it was a gorgeous sunny day when I left home. Sunglasses, shorts and a shower proof jacket was all I thought I’d need to enjoy a summers ride south. Precisely when I reached the top of Biggin Hill and the small aircraft came into view, the heavens opened. At that point, out of breath and thankful for some down hill time, it struck me that this was tough and I hadn’t even started yet. I was half way and as I began to cruise downhill, The rains made it a little tricky to see as my shoes filled up with torrential rain and I realised that my rucksack was probably suffering the same fate. I wasn’t hopeful for my laptop. Arriving at my friends house I was instantly treated to a hot shower and some kippers on toast, a most welcome protein-filled snack. It was at that point that I realised that such luxuries might not be readily available in the wilderness and I would have to plan a whole lot better than I had done for a forty mile work out. Nonetheless, it was a cracking start to what I thought would be a hundred times worse.
A day of soreness but not a feeling that I was considerably unfit or out of shape was apparent after a decent nights sleep. I was and still am confident that I’m a long way from where I want to be physically before attempting my trek.
Last week I walked thirteen miles in just over three hours, an hour and a half on Sunday and then another hour and a half on Monday. I won’t e keeping tht pace (about thirteen minute miles) once in the road, but it’s a good early test of where my aerobic capacities are, as well as how “ready” my feet and maybe less worked parts of my body are. Blisters are inevitable and there’s only one way to be sure I’m not riddled with them – walk! Admittedly, I followed my mileage up with a romantic picnic on the sun-kissed banks of the Thames but if I want to be ready for 2014, I’ve a lot more picnicking to do.
After a few more miles this week, the blisters and muscle cramps in my feet don’t feel too great, but rest isn’t going to help my feet become accustomed to the mileage they’ll be doing. I’ve nine months to make sure I’m not going to crash and burn a week from leaving Boston.
With the early aches and pains, but generally confident feeling about my current fitness, two things are apparent; 1) I need new walking shoes! 2) I need to toughen my feet up.
Click the link if you’d like to donate: http://www.justgiving.com/WinstonWolfrider
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Ben Winston 